What states have primary elections today? What to watch for in key contests

Voters are heading to the polls in a number of key primary elections, which will dictate the direction of both the Democratic and Republican contests ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

Former president Donald Trump is attempting to make his influence known in multiple races, while Democrats try to sort out the direction of their party in a year when they face tremendous headwinds.

Here are the primaries to watch on Tuesday:

Lauren Boebert faces a GOP primary challenge:

Freshman Republican Lauren Boebert has made a name for herself as one of Mr Trump’s most vociferous defenders in Congress since she beat incumbent Representative Scott Tipton in a primary in 2020. Now she faces a primary challenge in Colorado’s 3rd District, against state Senator Don Coram. Mr Coram portrayed himself as a voice against excessive partisanship with little evidence of getting anything done during their debate last month.

“I have been critical of the opponent’s record and I’d liken it to a new Denver football player, in that she throws a lot of passes but has zero completions,” he said, Who would be happy with that?”

Conversely, Ms Boebert, has become a Republican star attractions, speaking at rallies with the former president even outside of Colorado, as she did in Illinois this past weekend. Speaking of which...

A fresh-faced firebrand versus a GOP staple:

Illinois Representative Mary Miller earned negative headlines when she praised the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade as a “victory for white life”. While Ms Miller’s spokesman said that remarks were a “mix-up of words”, it’s not the first time Ms Miller, who won an open seat in 2020, has come under fire. On January 6, before the actual Capitol riot took place, Ms Miller said: “Hitler was right on one thing. He said, ‘Whoever has the youth has the future.’”

She is now locked in a primary against Representative Rodney Davis.

Mr Davis is currently the ranking member of the House Administration Committee and if Republicans win the majority this November, he will likely become the chairman. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy selected him to be part of the select committee investigating the January 6 riot, but pulled him and other members after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to seat Representatives Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio.

Mr Trump endorsed Ms Miller earlier this year.

Two Democrats face off

On the Democratic side of the Land of Lincoln, Representatives Sean Casten and Marie Newman are facing off. Representative Sean Castan, who flipped a district in the 2018 midterm election, is a member of the New Democrat Coalition and a relative moderate. Meanwhile, Representative Marie Newman is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and knocked off former Representative Dan Lipinski, one of the last anti-abortion Democrats in the House of Representatives, in a primary challenge in 2020.

But as Roll Call reported earlier this week, support of Israel, particularly money for the defence missile system known as the Iron Dome, has become a majort sticking point, with Ms Newman’s vote against additional funding specifically leading to pro-Israel Democratic groups opposing her. Earlier this year, the Office of Congressional Ethics also released a report saying it had “substantial reason to believe” Ms Newman might have violated federal law when she promised a primary opponent in 2020.

New York’s Democratic gubernatorial primary

New York governor Kathy Hochul assumed office last year after former governor Andrew Cuomo resigned in response to a report alleging he sexually harassed multiple women. While the New York State Democratic Party has endorsed Ms Hochul, she faces primary challenges from Jumaane Williams, the public advocate for New York City, and Representative Tom Suozzi, a moderate Democrat. The progressive Working Families Party endorsed Mr Williams. Mr Suozzi has criticised Ms Hochul for not combating crime.

Oklahoma’s special election Senate primary

Senator James Inhofe’s announcement that he would resign at the beginning of next year kicked off a primary to replace him. While former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt, who served in the Trump administration, is running, his polling is consistently weak. Comparatively, Representative Markwayne Mullin leads the pack with 38.7 per cent of the vote, according to a survey last week